Cannon pinion indenting fixture



Dec. 26, 1950 G. c. CHILDS, 111 2,535,483

CANNON PINION INDENTING FIXTURE Filed March 2, 1949 5 Sheets-Sheet 1GILBERT C. CHILDS, III

attowwn q Dec. 26, 1950 G. c. CHILDS, III 2,535,483

CANNON PINION INDENTING FIXTURE Filed March 2, 1949 3 Sheets-Sheet 2FIG. 3 32 28 27 gvwe/wm GILBERT c. CHILD s, I11

ATTORNEY Deg. 26, 1950 c. cH1LDs,1 2,535,483

CANNON PINION INDENTING FIXTURE Filed March 2, 1949 3 Sheets-Sheet 3FIG.4

- MINUTE WHEEL noun WHEEL m Q om.

noun HAND *MINUTE HAND GILBERT C. CHILDS, IE

Patented Dec. 26, 1950 CANNON PINION INDENTING FIXTURE Gilbert 0.Childs, III, Lancaster, Pa., assignor to Hamilton Watch Company,Lancaster, Pa.

Application March 2, 1949, Serial No. 79,229

2 Claims.

This invention relates to a power machine for dimpling a cannon pin on.

The cannon pinion which is that part of the watch which carries thehands must be held frictonally on the center staif so that it will turnwith the center staff and yet loosely enough so that the hands may beset by means of the winding stem. It must alsobe capable of easy removalin the necessary cleaning and repair of the watch. This friction fit isgenerally brought about by dimnling diametrically opposite points in thecylindrical wall of the cannon pinion. Previously this dimpling has beendone by hand and is one of the more costly operations in the making ofwatch parts. This invention relates to a power press for dimpling thecannon pinion and a single unskilled operator can in a days work do manytimes more than a skilled operator did previously.

The object of the present invention is to provide a simple power presswhich is capable of certa n minute adjustments to provide for the veryaccurate dimuling of the cannon pinion.

A still further object of the present invention is to provideself-aligning and self-centering features wh ch will automaticallycompensate for slight errors in the work.

A further object of the present invention is to prov de a machine whichwill do with unskilled labor what was previously done by hand throughhighly skilled labor.

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of the entire assembly with parts brokenaway.

Figure 2 is a top plan view with parts broken away.

Figure 3 is a cross-sectional view taken through the dimpling anvils.

Figure 4 is an enlarged cross-sect on showing the anvils in engagementwith the cannon pinion.

Figure 5 is a greatly enlarged view showing the cannon pinion mounted onthe center staff together with the hands and dial.

Figure 6 is a cross-sectional view on line 66 of Figure 3.

The machine comprises a base 8 having legs or standards 9 for benchmounting. Mounted on the base at the rear is an air cylinder 10connected to an air line H by means of the hose l2 and operated throughthe foot valve i3. This construction is optional, any of the standardair cylinders in use on the market being suitable for the job.

Mounted in parallel relation in the base 8 in a recessed portion I4 ofthe base 8 are parallel rods [5 which carry a cross-head l6 slidablymounted th reon. A plunger I! connected to the piston of the aircylinder extends into a cut out portion l8 of the cross-head and servesto transmit the force of the air cylinder to the cross-head. Sleeves I9serve as bearings for the cross-head in its operation on the rods 15 andare replaceable after being worn to insure the true straight l neoperation of the cross-head.

The cross-head i6 is formed with forwardly and outwardly diverging arms20 slotted at their outer ends as at 2| to provide the bearings for pins22. Links 23 are carried by the pins 22 and extend inwardly of theextended arms, bearing against the outer plates 24 along the forwardedge 25. A block portion 26 of the base 8 is bored at 21 to receive thecylinders 28 which are urged outwardly from the center by the compresson springs 29. The top of the block 26 is milled to receive the slides30 which are con nected to the cylinders 28 by pins 3| passing throughthe slot 32 between the milled portion and the holes 21. The slides 30are connected at their outward extremities to the links 23 by pins 33 sothat the outward urging action of the compression springs 29 istransferred through the pins and the slides to the links 23 and togetherwith a spring (not shown) in the air cylinder move the cross-head andits at tached air piston to initial position.

A top plate 34 is secured to the block 26 and serves as a top bearingfor the slides 39 in the milled portion of the block 26. The block 28 isfurther milled at the center portion as at 35 to form arecess for thecentral fixture pin 36. The top plate 34 is cut to conform to thisrecess 35 so that access to the fixture 36 may be had directly fromabove and the front of the machine.

Extending up through the approximate center of recess 35 is a pinfixture 36, the projecting end of which is located directly between theinward ends of the slides 30. This fixture is adapted to receive theworkpiece, or cannon pinion on its upper projecting end, the lowerportion of the pinfixture 35 is enlarged to fit the tube bearing 3iwhich is fixed in the block 28 and is provided mits the nut 38 to movethe tube and pin fixture as a unit for vertical adjustment. After thedesired adjustment of the fixture is obtained, a set screw 54 shown inFigures 1 and 2 is turned in against the tube 31 securely locking it inthe desired position. Directly above the enlarged portion 4! the pinfixture is sectionally reduced to provide a flexing portion 43. The pinfixture 35 is of resilient material and the flexing portion 43 togetherwith the reduced upper portion 44 of the pin permits lateral movement ofthe pin for purposes hereinafter explained.

Referring particularly to Figure 6, a cross-section is shown showing thereduced portion 43 of the fixture 36. This view is taken looking up inthe direction of the arrows on the line 6-6 and shows the clearance ofthe upper part 44 of the fixture which permits slight movement of theupper part of the fixture with the attached cannon pinion. The shape ofthe flexing portion .43 permits movement in the direction of the slides39 while preventing any lateral movement .of the fixture with relationto the slides.

- The ends 45 (Figure 4) of the slides 3!! are U- shaped as at 45(Figure 1) to support anvils 41, the anvils being seated in curvedportions 48 of the U-shaped ends of the slides 39.

Referring to Figure 5 which shows a cannon pinion 49 mounted on a centerstaff 50, the enlarged view definitely shows the reason and function ofthe dimples 5! made in the cannon pinion. The cannon pinion must turnfrictionally with movement of the center staif 59 and yet be capable ofturning on the center staif when it is desirable to set the hands. Theminute wheel is turned by the center staff through the cannon pinionwhich in turn through the hour wheel turns the hour hand. This cannonpinion must be capable of easy removal in case of cleaning and must beboth frictionally held to the center stafif and free to turn on it. Theamount of indentation of the dimple is then extremely critical and whereinterchangeable parts are made, so that anyone of a thousand watches,the degree of tolerance allowable in this dimple is extremely small,amounting to less than /m,ooo of an inch.

To accomplish this minute measurement an adjustable anvil 52 (Figure 2)is mounted on the cross-head 1G and contacts the rearward edge of theblock 24. In this manner the forward motion of the cross-head can beaccurately regulated so that the inward movement of the anvils 41 can beaccurately determined. A set screw 53 securely holds the anvil 52 in thedesired adjusted posi tion.

The operation of the machine may b briefly summarized in that theoperator places a cannon pinion with the gear 49 down over theprojecting end of the pin fixture 36. Operation of the valve I 3 causesthe air cylinder I!) to function, moving the cross-head I6 forward. Thisforward movement of the cross-head is transmitted through the links 23,their forward edges 25 bearing against the plates 24 and moving withslides 30 and their anvils 41 inward in extremely fast movement. Thismovement which is too fast for the eye to follow brings the anvils tothe position 4 shown in Figure 4 indenting the dimples 5| into thecannon pinion. Retraction of the anvils 41 and their slides 39 isaccomplished by means of the compression springs 29 acting against thecylinders 28 and through the pins 3! to the slides 30.

What is claimed is:

1. A cannon pinion indenting machine comprising a pair of anvils mountedfor sliding opposing movement relative to each other, means foroperating said anvils, a fixture for supporting a cannon pinion betweensaid anvils, said fixture being formed with a resilient portionpermitting movement in the direction of the sliding movement of saidanvils while furnishing stable suppcrt to movement lateral of said anvilmovement, whereby the indenting action of the anvils on the cannonpinion is simultaneously directed at diametrically opposite points onthe cannon pinion.

2. A cannon pinion indenting machine comprising a base, a pair of paralel rods carried by said base, a cross head mcunted on said rods forsliding movement, means for operating said cross-head, an adjustablestop for lim ting the travel of said cross-head, means for locking thestop in adjusted position, a pair of slides mounted in said ba e formovement at right angles to said cross-head, means connecting saidcross-head to said slides whereby movement of the cross-head istransferred to the slides, a tube slidably mounted in said ba e at rightangles to said slides, an adjusting nut rotatably carried by said baseand threaded onto said tube to provide means for vertically adiustingthe tube, a cannon pinion supporting fixture frictionally held at itslower .end in said tube. the u per end being reduced to allow a certainlimited m' vement of the fixture .within the tube, said fixture betweenthe upper and lower portions being of narrowed rectangular cross-sectionto provide flexure in th direction of movement of the slides whileinsuring stability at right angles to such movement, means for lockingsaid tube in adjusted position so that cannon pinions carried by saidfixture in said tube can be successively placed on said fixture and bearexactly the same relativ position to said slide, anvils carried at t eopposing ends of said slides and adapted to simultaneously contactopposing sides of the cannon pinion, the narrowed flexible portion ofsaid fixture providing automatic means for insuring simultaneous contactof the anvils.

' GILBERT C. CHILDS, III.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in'the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Num er Name Date 1,596,393 Browne Apr. 17, 19261,605,194 Kopf Nov. 2, 1926 2,231,278 Miller Feb. 11 1941 FOREIGNPATENTS Number Country Date 268,622 Great Britain Apr. 7, 1927

